ISRO to test solid fuel engine for small rocket

Chennai: The Indian space agency is gearing up to test the solid fuel motor of its small rocket under development, said a senior official.

The official also said the space agency is planning to fly the small rocket -- Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) -- before the end of this year itself with an Indian earth observation satellite. The SSLV is being designed to have a carrying capacity of about 500kg targeting the small satellite launch market.

As a matter of fact, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting orders from foreign parties to launch small satellites.

The first static test of SSLV's solid fuel motor was unsuccessful as there were some issues with the engine's nozzle.

An official had earlier said that the second test will be with the engine that was kept for the rocket. A new first stage engine for the rocket has to be built.

The other two stages/engines for the proposed SSLV have been tested earlier, an ISRO official had said.